When I spotted a dragonfly patrolling over the water of a small pond yesterday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I knew almost immediately that it was a Prince Baskettail dragonfly (Epitheca princeps). How could I tell? As it flew by, I could catch glimpses of the dark patches on its wings and the Prince Baskettail is the only large dragonfly with patterned wings in our area. (Prince Baskettails are almost three inches (76 mm) in length).
Seeing the dragonfly in flight was easy, but getting a clear shot of it was a considerable challenge. I watched the dragonfly and was able to determine its approximate patrol area. When it flew into that area, I attempted to track it, sometimes using my camera’s autofocus and sometimes focusing manually. Most of my shots were out of focus or did not include the dragonfly in the frame, but I managed to get a few decent shots, with the image below being the best of the lot.
Some of my fellow wildlife photographers marvel at images like this and think that high end gear or special techniques are necessary. The reality, though, is that I use relatively modest equipment and the “secret” to my success quite often is a combination of patience, practice, and persistence.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Fantastic photo, Mike. It’s also pretty amazing that you could identify this small and fast-moving species before you brought in the optics.
Thanks, Jet. I should also note that the behavior of the dragonfly, i.e. the way that it was flying low over the water, also helped me to identify it–there are only a few species that fly over the water like this one was doing and some of them show up earlier in the season and could be excluded from consideration. It’s hard to explain, but different dragonfly have different flight patterns, so I try to pay attention to things like the height at which they are flying and the way they are perching (if they are perching at all).
It’s that way with birds, too, Mike. We become knowledgeable with patterns, behaviors, and sounds that we can’t really explain. With birds, it’s many aspects, many of them quite obscure, like becoming familiar with the different sounds of wingbeats. Cheers to learning from our winged friends.
Great shot, Mike! This is a very cool-looking dragonfly!
Yes, you don’t need expensive equipment at all. But patience and persistence are definitely must haves!
That is a fancy one!